Pretending We’re Not Already Remote
It’s a curious phenomenon in today’s corporate world. We collaborate constantly with people all over the globe while pretending we’re not already remote.
Yet glancing at job search websites we see explicit location requirements everywhere. “We need a ROCKSTAR Developer,” the job listing demands! But only if you live in Gary, Indiana.
Evolution of Technology
I suspect the main reason for pretending we’re not already remote is due to the evolution of technology. The incremental advances in technology over the past twenty years have been transformative.
Internet access and smartphones have dramatically changed the way we work and especially for those of us in the software world. One by one, the impediments that required us to be tethered to an office are being removed.
We used to require an office location’s fast network connection, because home-based internet was expensive, slow, and unreliable. This is a solved problem now for anyone near a significant population center worldwide. And with the LEO Satellite Internet wave quickly approaching, this barrier too will fall for even the most remote of us.
In addition, we now carry around supercomputers in our pockets posing as phones. It’s never been easier to stay connected with our co-workers whether via email, Slack, or Zoom.
Even a decade ago I carried on Skype video calls over a high latency Geo Satellite internet connection. Now I could have that same video call on my smartphone with drastically better quality.
The tools and internet connections are only improving as the ratchet of technological advancement continues to turn. Simply put, our tools used to require we work in a specific location. This is no longer the case.
Inertia
It’s the inertia, stupid! This play on the famous James Carville quote sums things up nicely. The corporate world moves slowly to the surprise of no one.
Where have all the major innovations occurred over the last twenty years? Certainly not at IBM and other old behemoths. It’s been the Silicon Valley VC-backed startups that have led the charge. The IBMs of the world are incentivized to move slowly because they have much more to protect.
And so it is with the vast majority of corporations when it comes to job location requirements. We don’t need to sit in the same office as our peers to do our jobs as developers. Yet that’s the way it’s been done for decades so by gum that’s what we’re going to do!
It’s the “nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM” effect. What CTO of an established corporation wants to stick her neck out and remove location requirements? It’s far easier for management to just stick with inertia and keep pretending we’re not already remote.
I believe eventually we’ll reach a tipping point where even the behemoth corporations will embrace remote work. Unless of course they get disrupted and supplanted by an innovator before that happens.
Remote First Companies
Thankfully, not all companies are stuck in the 20th Century. A rapidly growing number of companies are choosing to go fully remote from Day One. These Remote First companies are gaining an early mover advantage by adapting to the reality of today’s connected world.
It’s hard enough to find and maintain product/market fit. Doing so while also mimicking the mistakes of legacy companies can be catastrophic. I believe that’s why we’re seeing rapid growth in new companies where remote first is baked into their DNA.
These innovative companies don’t carry the burden of decades of inertia. They are able to operate in our current reality much more effectively and most importantly, attract a better talent pool unbounded by obsolete geographic restrictions.
Employee Retention
Employee retention for remote workers is also dramatically higher than their in-office counterparts. Moreover, personnel churn is a huge drag on any organization’s bottom line. Just think of the cost it takes to replace a software developer.
Between the time spent by Human Resources, the Hiring Manager, and Technical Interviewers, it can easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for a single hire. And then there’s the cost of reduced productivity while the new hire ramps up. This will usually last many months and results in a hidden cost to the company.
Early Movers
The number of remote first companies are too many to list. However, there are some prominent ones who have been leading the charge. What these companies have in common is not only a commitment to remote work, but also a commitment to processes that best enable collaboration across distance and time zones.
Automattic, founded by the prolific Matt Mullenweg, has been a trailblazer in the remote revolution. Doist is another highly successful scion of the remote first companies and was founded by the equally impressive Amir Salihefendić.
The remote first Java world also boasts several highly successful ventures. Toptal, X-Team, and Clevertech all welcome talent worldwide and embrace the core tenets of our new remote work reality. Though not limited to the Java space, they do boast a significant presence in this tech stack.
This is only a small sample of the remote first companies leading the charge. The ranks of the remote optimized companies will only grow in our rapidly shrinking and connected world.
Summary
Ultimately there are two kinds of companies. Those that know they are already remote and those that don’t.
Those that don’t are mostly yielding to inertia and understandable caution towards big changes. Unfortunately for them, ignoring reality often has dire consequences. Just ask Blockbuster.
Companies that know they are remote embrace it prominently. They recognize it’s a competitive advantage for talent acquisition and retention.
Better people with better processes without obsolete geographic restrictions.